March 29, 2004
Spyware, Adware and Friends
Have you noticed that you're getting pop-up ads that are somehow more targeted to your interests than they used to be? Is your computer running more and more slowly?
Could be you are experiencing an invasion of spyware! Huh?
For an easy-to-read backgrounder, check out The Christian Science Monitor's Is your computer spying on you?". The article defines the different forms of spyware including browser hijackers, keyloggers, malware and spybots. It explains that spyware is different from cookies and explains why spyware can be dangerous.
The article recommends some useful tools for keeping a handle on these sneaky, annoying programs. Here are the free ones they mention:
I'm planning to give Spybot a run because in addition to rooting out the "uninvited Web-borne flotsam" it also has some other utilities I'm interested in including a file shredder, the ability to block adware servers and a tool for controlling what apps load when I start my computer. I'll let you know how it goes......
Posted by Lori at 10:30 AM | Permalink
Comments
Lori, I run Spybot and Ad Aware and each have their strengths. It is just amazing how much junk is foisted on an innocent computer user. One of the things I like about Spybot, and I forget if Ad Aware does this, is that you can tell it never to let the invader come back. And it doesn't. Very cool.
Posted by: Jay Currie | March 29, 2004 4:12 PM
These are excellent tools and Spybot can even be automated to some extent.
BTW - We've seen more frequent high-jacking of browsers here as well as the usual spam/adware. You might want to brush up on your IE registry settings and investigate one of the browser highjack tools out there as well.
Posted by: Eric Maynard | April 14, 2004 4:05 PM
As to automating Spybot, I set it up to run every day using XP's Task Scheduler so it runs but then it sits there waiting for me to tell it its okay to delete the bad guys. I've got a bit more tweaking to do.
Eric, any browser anti-hijacking tools you recommend?
Posted by: Lori | April 15, 2004 10:50 AM